This guide from Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP(R)) covers safeguards that can be implemented in hospitality businesses today, tips on how to continuously improve security and data regulation compliance.

HFTP GDPR Guidelines: Privacy Policies for Hotels

This document offers points to consider in the development of a hotel’s privacy policy. In view of the multiple organisational and legal structures under which hotels operate, as well as the complexity of the third party landscape that may be part of the complete guest experience, this document serves as a guideline only.

HFTP GDPR Guidelines: Hospitality Guest Registration Cards

This document offers recommendations for guest information collection on the guest registration card along with consent for use. It can be used as a guideline for loyalty cards, health data, export of data outside of the EU, privacy policies and direct marketing.

Group business is the number two revenue driver at a hotel after transient guest rooms, yet most properties don't dedicate much of their digital presence to this valuable business line. In a recent study we conducted, the number one priority for hotels in 2018 is increasing group business.

In R28 we’ve added a few new features that make it easier for your team to collaborate on bookings and detail events. Our enterprise customers will also benefit from their orgs being able to support more properties and Competitor picklist values, as well as a streamlined workflow for entering lost business details. Review the R28 release notes for additional information on all new features and fixed issues, including BEO formatting.

A recent report from Smith Travel Research shows the pipeline of US hotel construction rapidly growing in the Select Service market.1 Key drivers for this growth are founded primarily on meeting the evolving needs of guests while also leveraging the cost efficiency of Select Service brands to increase profit margins. As more of these properties open their doors, they face an increasingly competitive landscape full of other hotel chains, home sharing options, and independent B&amp;B’s. How do hoteliers effectively position and manage their property to differentiate from the competition?

Projections for mobile group and event booking and the growth of mobile commerce in the travel industry.
Skift recently named online booking for small meetings as one way they see the “Future of Event Technology” expanding in the near future.1
While online commerce has existed for decades now (fun fact – Amazon was founded in 1995),2 the growth of online retail has exploded much more recently, extending to growth in mobile commerce.

Fragmentation has long been a challenge for the hotel industry. Multiple solutions, complex integrations, and scattered data has made it difficult for properties to track their business accurately, let alone their guests. In this blog, we’ll take a look at the evolution of hospitality integrations and how early software inspired the latest innovations shaping the industry today.

We have technology readily available at all times, with our phones rarely out of reach. Mobile technology is constantly evolving, prompting us to download the latest operating systems and apps on what feels like a daily basis.

Armed with the right information — and the right partner — your company can transition technology solutions with confidence. In the Making the Switch eBook, we share key considerations before changing software so you will not only feel confident in your decision but excited by the benefits new technology can bring to your growing business.

The Denihan Hospitality Group is a nationally recognized, independent owner and operator of luxury and boutique hotels including The James brand, the Affinia Collection, and luxury independents such as The Benjamin and the award-winning Surrey Hotel. With a guest-centric approach to hospitality, Denihan selected the Advanced module of Amadeus Sales &amp; Event Management to drive productivity for their sales and catering business as well as enhance their customer relationship management.

Each and every guest you welcome to your property has the potential to become a loyal visitor. How often they return is directly related to the experience you create through every interaction. As a Limited Service hotel, how can you differentiate your offering and create a memorable experience?

Online research is on the rise. With 72% of planners saying they get most of their information from a venue’s website,1 your website needs to do more than showcase beautiful photos – it needs to help you convert event business! Historically, venue selection required a lot of time and effort with RFP submissions, cycles of emails, venue visits, and rounds of proposal reviews. But this long process is in the midst of an evolution. Venues we’ve spoken with recently are seeing the event planning window shortening to as little as 6 – 8 weeks for large corporate events, with even shorter lead times for smaller board room style meetings. To support these shrinking lead times, venues need to provide more information to planners upfront before they ever get a chance to meet them.

There are more technology choices for sales and catering software available today than there were just ten years ago. Maybe you’ve even had your current sales and catering solution for that long (we know some of you are out there). Whether you need to upgrade functionality or diversify your property’s offerings, buying new software can seem overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be. Partnering with a technology provider that understands your challenges and can pose relevant and cost-effective solutions can take a lot of stress out of your decision making.

So, You’ve Decided That You Need A New Hotel Management System. Some time ago, you decided that your existing Hotel Management System probably needs an upgrade. Maybe reliability or security have been an issue. Perhaps you don’t have some functionality that you need for guest satisfaction or labor efficiency, or your system cost is too high. There are some steps to take to ensure that you get buy-in along your decision process and, crucially, can up your odds of winning approval and funding.

Providing a memorable guest experience is one of the most important goals for hoteliers today. To do this, hoteliers must get to know their guests and provide a personalized experience that goes above and beyond. One small, but important piece in providing this memorable experience is writing a compelling and personal hotel welcome letter. In this blog, we will discuss what to include in your welcome letter, provide an example of how to write a welcome letter for hotel guests and offer three free templates you can download and get started with today!

Today’s hotel managers are juggling familiar goals with new challenges and ever-growing guest expectations. Whether they’re running a full-service luxury resort or basic economy property, any seasoned GM knows their goals remain the same – create exceptional guest experiences and empower their teams to deliver them. This is in addition to the hard reality of balancing costs, especially those related to headcount, without compromising the guest experience.

Leverage technology to put customers first, make smarter business decisions, and deliver on your brand promise. The hospitality industry continues to grow at a record setting pace. New hotel construction in the United States was up nearly 12% in 2017 compared to the year before, with 65% of that construction dedicated to properties in the Limited Service sector. Travelers are easily lured in by the budget friendly room rates, sleek modern design, and unique amenities. The soaring demand has chains eager to continue building. Limited Service hotels are considered low risk by developers because they are affordable to build and potentially offer a better return on investment since they’re designed to run at a low cost.

If you’ve purchased hospitality software in the past, you know that upgrading the technology your team uses day in and day out can have a significant impact on overall performance. You also know that wanting to upgrade doesn’t necessarily translate into the ability to do so. There are a lot of factors involved in hospitality software upgrades from ROI to budget to data migration and training time, not to mention prioritizing among other business needs.

Providing a memorable guest experience is one of the most important goals for hoteliers today. To do this, hoteliers must get to know their guests and provide a personalized experience that goes above and beyond. A personalized welcome letter is one small, but important factor in delivering the guest experience that results in repeat visits and referral business.

Hotels face rapidly changing guest behaviors, preferences, and expectations. Properties that are able to deliver a memorable experience through unique amenities, personal touches, and stellar customer service will be rewarded with repeat business, word-of-mouth referrals, and positive reviews on social media. If you’re looking for ways to improve hotel guest satisfaction at your property, consider these eight proven strategies.

Millennials are now the largest generation in the workplace and have enough experience to qualify as significant decision-makers in their professional lives.1 With this in mind, it’s important to understand how their needs differ from their predecessors’ and what kind of brands and marketing messaging resonates with this audience.

A well-executed banquet event order can help you reduce the stress of event planning and give you the confidence to deliver a flawless event every time. This free BEO template will give you a standard format to follow for every event, so that no matter who is in charge of filling out the BEO, you’ll always have the details you need.

Today’s hotel managers are facing new challenges, but they are all driving towards familiar goals. Hotel Management 2020 identifies key challenges in the industry and actionable solutions that your team can begin to implement today. Learn innovative ways to manage guest expectations in hotel reservations, ensure sustainable growth in sales and catering, and deliver flawlessly in operations.

Guests crave unique travel experiences that they can tell the world about. One of your most important assets for guest loyalty is the integrity of your hotel rooms. The appearance and condition of your guest rooms is a direct reflection of your brand and the unique experiences you provide. Guests will likely remember their stay at a clean, pleasant hotel but they will definitely never forget an experience at an untidy one. Which experience would you rather provide?

Influencer marketing doubled in 2017, according to a recent study from Klear.1 For those new to influencer marketing, influencers can be defined as people with large audiences who post on social media about an organization and are compensated for their efforts. When it comes to marketing your hotel, partnering with influencers is all about building buzz among potential guests to increase transient visits and among planners to increase event leads. In his book The Art of Community, Jono Bacon shares, “Buzz is about excitement and excitement is about dreams.”2 And isn’t travel all about making dreams come true?

Travel plays a very important role in my life. I’m constantly jetting off to different countries week after week whether it’s for business or pleasure. But no matter where I am – there is one commonality that unites hotel staff around the world – a smile. The frustration of encountering long lines, delays, or a lost reservation can be lifted instantly with a kind greeting from the front desk and a promise to help. It can make all the difference in the travel experience, and be the deciding factor on whether or not a guest returns to that property. It’s situations like this that motivate me to help the hospitality industry deliver better guest experiences.

Our job as technology providers is to keep our finger on the pulse of the industry and develop modern day solutions for modern day hoteliers. In order to better understand the challenges they face, we reached out to 200+ individuals last year with influential roles in the property management system (PMS) procurement process. We have already revealed the most popular features driving purchasing decisions for a PMS solution in our first infographic series.

2018 is shaping up to be another profitable year in hospitality, as hoteliers predict prices to increase by 2.8%. [1] This is especially encouraging for Limited Service hotels that depend on room rates as their main revenue driver. Offering rooms at the right price is critical – if rates are too high then occupancy drops; if the rates are too low then profits can be tight.
Hoteliers have a range of technology choices when it comes to marketing their occupancy and at what price. However, these tools or channels treat room rates as standalone revenue and fail to incentive guests in other ways. Having additional sources of non-room revenue can help eliminate budget concerns and set up the business for long-term success.